Membro: Urquhart

lol - obviously I don't log in very often, to only now see your comment! I've taken Tai Chi on and off for many years, but have yet to learn the full form! One of these days... Yes - also in Cheng Man Ching's lineage.

My favorite Tai Chi books are the Wolfe Lowenthal ones - more biographical about CMC than about the form. Most of the form books tend not to be very useful - it's almost impossible to get a good sense of shape and feel from a picture.

escrito por scurl, às 11:53 pm (EST) , Mar 26, 2012

Would love to, thanks.

escrito por vbholmes, às 9:04 am (EST) , Mar 23, 2012

Thanks for the invitation
Don

escrito por dondaly, às 7:53 am (EST) , Jan 19, 2012

I've been reading your comments in the "Dishonest Reviews" threads. I have had my first three laughs of the morning (by 10:00 a.m. on a Sunday, and I'm not even to the bottom of my 2nd cup of coffee yet) courtesy of your way with prose. Item #4 in one of your posts about carbon footprints nearly caused me to choke.

I am pleased to make your acquaintance, sir.

Ginny Wood

escrito por CivilWarWriter, às 10:02 am (EST) , Oct 2, 2011

Thanks! I was actually in a history PhD program before switching to library science. I got my MA but saw how bad the job prospects were for humanities PhDs, and realized that I very much missed working in the library. Looking forward to discussion!

escrito por RebeccaDS, às 10:42 am (EST) , Sep 28, 2011

Thanks for the invite, Urquhart. I'll keep in touch!

escrito por ThomasCWilliams, às 10:17 pm (EST) , Sep 14, 2011

Thanks for reading the list carefully. In fact Daodejing and Zhuangzi are "hidden" in this list:

13 "Works" of Wang Bi: Wang Bi of the 3rd century (who died at a young age of 24!), was THE canonical commentator of both the Daodejing and the Yijing (Book of Changes). In Chinese commentaries, the original work is always included in the commentarial text. So by including his "Works" (each commentary is not that long) in my list, the Daodejing, the Yijing, and Wang Bi's commentaries are covered.
http://lawpark.jimdo.com/the-list/detailed-list-13-18/

21 "Sub-commentary of Zhuangzi" by Cheng Xuanying: this is the canonical commentary on Zhuangzi. The reason it is a sub-commentary is that it is a commentary on Guo Xiang's (canonical) commentary on Zhuangzi. Reason I pick Cheng's version is that otherwise I can't seem to fit religious daoism (as opposed to early philosophical daoism of either Laozi/Zhuangzi or Xuanxue exemplified by Wang Bi) in.

My criteria for the list:
http://lawpark.jimdo.com/concept/
Personally I feel the thinking about criteria is probably more important than the list itself.

Thanks again!

escrito por lawpark, às 7:11 pm (EST) , Sep 1, 2011

I wish I could be more help, but I also find her style to be very difficult. Let me do make this one suggestion - try a collection of her shorter essays first, and then work up to something like her book length essays - like her one on the trial of Adolph Eichmann. Her Totalitarianism is impossible without some immersion in her other writings and probably even then requires some background in her philosophic premises [which are German and have more to do with the early 20th century than most of what went on for fifty years thereafter].

escrito por lawecon, às 1:05 am (EST) , Sep 1, 2011

On which ones I have read, I have completely finished very few (Iliad, Aeneid, Commedia, Hamlet), have read selected portions for some, with some that I have not read at all.

escrito por lawpark, às 7:46 pm (EST) , Aug 31, 2011

The English versions I can find on Amazon are listed on the page:
http://lawpark.jimdo.com/suggested-versions/

For Mao Odes, try Arthur Waley's translation
http://www.amazon.com/Book-Songs-Ancient-Chinese-Classic/dp/0802134777/ref=sr_1_...
In this text I've selected, there is a long ~50 page Postface (starting p.336 - you can see on Amazon) that talks about the influence of Shijing and some mention of the commentarial tradition. It is not Mao Odes itself, but that is the best I can find. It is not translated probably because the poems were interpreted quite moralistically in the Mao Odes, so not to the taste of most English-language readers I suppose. Even now in China they are not much read. But I select that because it has essentially been the standard text used for maybe over 1000 year.

escrito por lawpark, às 7:35 pm (EST) , Aug 31, 2011

Thanks for your nice words on my list of 36 "World Canonical Texts". It is the first ever comment I have heard from anyone since I created the site towards end of July!

escrito por lawpark, às 8:48 pm (EST) , Aug 30, 2011

Thanks for your message. New to LibraryThing ... are you referring to "Ancient History" or the "History: On learning and writing history" group?

escrito por lawpark, às 6:47 pm (EST) , Aug 30, 2011

Hope you're okay with the hurricane.

escrito por OldSarge, às 8:10 am (EST) , Aug 28, 2011

Thanks for your message.

I donʻt feel qualified to advise on Metamorphoses translations,

until I hve gone to the University or the main Public Library

to look over what has been doen (usually metrical) translations

in recent decades. The prose translation in the [Loeb Classical

Library] series, I would call adequate but not outstanding.

It is by Frank Justus Miller, who I think was also the

Loeb translator for Senecaʻs tragedies.

Kirk is greatly admired by both me and my wife. swe would

consider him a successor of Milman Parry who

introduced study of the true context of Homerʻs poems

or Songs, as Kirk calls them. And Kirk would seeem to be

a colleague of

Albert Lord who worked mostly on the oral tradition

in Serbia, Bosnia, and Albania, but also had

a good Greco-Roman Classics background.

"The Songs of Homer" assumes as did Milman Parry

that the Homeric epics were composed, not written,

the writing down of them being only centuries later.

Though we donʻt have the music of them, they

were presumably sung or chanted, probably to lyre

accompaniment (hence the "Songs" of Kirkʻs title.

escrito por rolandperkins, às 5:04 pm (EST) , Aug 9, 2011

The events you listed are only briefly and indirectly referred to in the Iliad, but yes, Achilles on one of his side raids took the city of Lyrnessos, plundered it, taking Briseis as captive in the process. There are several places in the Iliad where Homer's language shows that they do love each other. You can certainly interpret it differently, but that's my read. It's not like a solution to an arithmetic problem with only one possible answer, however. Briseis goes all unwilling when Agamemnon's herald comes to take her away, as she mourns for Patroklos, she describes how Patroklos promised her she would marry Achilles, and in book 9 Achilles describes her as "the bride of my heart even though I won her with my spear" and compares his relationship to Briseis as his wife to Helen's to Menelaos, that is a legitimate marriage between two royals, which both Achilles and Briseis are. Hope that answers you question.

escrito por Judith_Starkston, às 10:49 pm (EST) , Jun 1, 2011

The Iliad and Odyssey are certainly in a category of their own. If you have not read the Aeneid, which is in Roman and a literary rather than oral poem, but also an epic poem and also starting at Troy. I suspect you would like it very much. Your wife might like other mysteries I've reviewed on my website if she's looking for fun mysteries.
Judith

escrito por Judith_Starkston, às 6:45 pm (EST) , May 30, 2011

Hello again Urquhart,
I'm familiar with M.L. West but not that particular book on the transmission of the text. I kind of got more of textual tradition in grad school than I ever really wanted! It sometimes seemed like I'd spend my life arguing over the reading of a single word for hours and never get to look at the larger picture. As a teacher and writer, I much prefer the beauty of the whole! I'm happy to answer questions, though I'm not really an expert by any means, just a fellow explorer. I have a number of articles on the material culture in the Iliad on my website www.judithstarkston.com so you might want to look there. Because I've been writing fiction set in the milieu of the Iliad I've spent less time the last few years on the literary interpretation of the Iliad and more on understanding the archaeology and cultural context, a lot of which was quite new to me because it wasn't covered at all in my undergraduate or graduate programs.

I definitely look forward to continuing discussions!
Judith

escrito por Judith_Starkston, às 10:59 am (EST) , May 29, 2011

Hi Urquhart,
Thanks for the recommendation of Memory in Oral Traditions. I haven't read that book. In regards to your interest in how the bards "memorized" all those lines, if you haven't already read The Singer of Tales by Albert B. Lord, you will definitely enjoy it. It's an old book by now (1974) but it's based on the work of Milman Perry on the oral bards who still had a living tradition that he could record and study in then Yugoslavia. His discovery was that oral composition is just that, not memorization, and the repetitive formulae they used serve as a kind of "plug in" in various metrical positions in each line. I'm guessing you already know this work, but if not, by all means read it!
I do like the mysteries set in Egypt with Amelia Peabody. They are lots of fun. You might also like Barbara Cleverly's Tomb of Zeus which I've reviewed at http://www.judithstarkston.com/reviews/review-of-tomb-of-zeus/.

escrito por Judith_Starkston, às 10:53 am (EST) , May 29, 2011

Thanks, Ur, I did, and I wishlisted The Cartoon History of the Universe. I was amazed to find it's in my library system.

escrito por Citizenjoyce, às 1:45 am (EST) , May 8, 2011

Hi Barlow,

Snow gone?

Mike

escrito por MGE, às 11:26 am (EST) , Mar 31, 2011

Aw, shucks. :)

The painting is "Choctaw Belle," painted at Mobile, Alabama, in 1850 by one Phillip Romer. Wikimedia Commons has it here.

escrito por Muscogulus, às 6:29 pm (EST) , Mar 24, 2011

Thank you very much, sir--I certainly will. And yes, writing YA literature is a wonderful place to be...YA readers are fearless, and it's a pleasure to write for them.

Marissa

escrito por Marissa_Doyle, às 5:28 pm (EST) , Mar 19, 2011

Thanks for the invitation. I think I'm already a member but I'll check again.

escrito por alco261, às 11:51 am (EST) , Mar 5, 2011

Thanks!

escrito por TLCrawford, às 11:13 am (EST) , Mar 4, 2011

Just tried to answer your history question — in almost 2000 words! — and I still wouldn’t say it’s answered. Let me know what you think.

It gave me an opportunity to organize my thoughts — and to touchstone a lot of books and authors I like. Thanks for that.

escrito por Muscogulus, às 12:19 pm (EST) , Feb 24, 2011

Urquhart,
Saint Exupery’s real life was as exciting as anything in the Iliad (well maybe not bedding Helen of Troy:)
Stay strong,
Quicksiva

escrito por quicksiva, às 7:03 pm (EST) , Jan 5, 2011

Urquhart,
Cheng Man-Ch'ing was a great master of the five excellences. I studied with a few students who had studied with him in New York. In 1984, I also briefly practiced with Wang Yen-nien, whose students are still pissed that Robert Smith once called him ‘‘second only to Cheng Man-Ch'ing”. Several of his students invited him to Chicago, and I had the most wonderful couple of weeks. I was invited to go to China, but at the time I could barely afford to visit China-town ;)
Stay strong,
Quicksiva

escrito por quicksiva, às 6:53 pm (EST) , Jan 5, 2011

Hi Urquhart,
Sorry, I didn’t get back to you sooner. I love Tai Chi Chuan. I am no master, but I have practiced for nearly 40 years. My profile picture (snake creeps down), shows me showing off to a date, about 30 years ago. I only regret that I didn’t get more of my friends and relatives to join me back then. Maybe more would still be alive and healthy today.

No matter the style, T.C.C. is rooted in two works. They are the Tao Te Ching and the I Ching. I like Stephen Mitchell’s translation of the first, and the classic Richard Wilhelm translation of the second. Carl Jung introduced the concept of Synchronicity to the public in his forward to Wilhelm’s work.

I tell my students that T.C.C. is the physical expression of a philosophy. Or as Mao, in his first essay put it, we "civilize the mind and make savage the body." Stay strong.

Quicksiva

escrito por quicksiva, às 10:50 am (EST) , Jan 5, 2011

Thanks. You send such a message to everyone who joins? That's cool.

Tim

escrito por timspalding, às 3:13 pm (EST) , Jan 3, 2011

Thanks for the welcome, but I'm sure you'll be able to teach me a thing or two about history.

escrito por gcamp, às 2:42 am (EST) , Dec 11, 2010

I saw your post about it yesterday and added it to my wishlist. I hope to get to it during winter break. Thanks for the recommendation.

escrito por TLCrawford, às 8:42 am (EST) , Nov 19, 2010

I humbly apologize, I didn't see your message from March 12th, 2010. I would love to join your group. Thanks for the info. :)

escrito por Marylandreb, às 6:06 pm (EST) , Oct 13, 2010

Looks like you got a good discussion going.

escrito por LamSon, às 5:25 pm (EST) , Sep 13, 2010

Ok, just been doing mostly cookies lately with a few cakes.

escrito por OldSarge, às 8:05 am (EST) , Sep 8, 2010

62 in December, God willing. Glad to see I'm not the only high-mileage reader around.

escrito por hbullard, às 11:30 am (EST) , Aug 10, 2010

Hi Ur,

I am now worried if it states the same in Wikipedia! I am surprised it didn't say that the author of that quotation wasn't the Mickey Mouse..

Cheers,

Ruth

escrito por Bowerbirds-Library, às 9:51 pm (EST) , Aug 4, 2010

Hi Ur,

My degrees were in 'History of Design & the Visual Arts' (B.A.Hons), 'Victorian Studies (M.A.)and finally the Ph.D. looked at the fashionable consumption of hand & machine-made lace in the mid nineteenth century - I won't bore you with the full title! Now, as well as discussing various subjects with my husband for his course, I am doing a short science course on 'Darwin & Evolution' with the Open University - keeps me out of mischief...

cheers, Ruth.

p.s. wasn't it Socrates rather than Plato?

escrito por Bowerbirds-Library, às 2:02 pm (EST) , Aug 2, 2010

Hello,

Many thanks for welcoming me to the History Group - I was glad to find you! My husband has just started a degree in Humanities with the Open University and this site should also be of interest to him.

It was very kind of you to say that you would have lots to learn from me, although I am afraid to say that 'the one thing that I know is that I know nothing'...

I think that my booklet on 'My interests' (aged about 8-9) has probably been the best thing that I have done! Definitely my favourite anyway ;-)

Best wishes

Ruth (Indigo-Silk)

escrito por Bowerbirds-Library, às 3:09 pm (EST) , Jul 31, 2010

Sorry about that, won't happen again. Glad to hear that your breadbaking is going well. I recommend these sites, if you're not aware of them yet:
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/
http://www.amishrecipes.net/
http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/

Thanks on the pics, I need to post more on my blog about what I'm doing. It was supposed to be a book blog, but my muse just went elsewhere.

This fall I'll be taking a class on artisan breads, develop my skills further.

escrito por OldSarge, às 9:09 am (EST) , Jul 23, 2010

:^)

escrito por MGE, às 7:31 am (EST) , Jun 28, 2010

That is an interesting site, it should be very usefull. Thank you.

escrito por TLCrawford, às 3:40 pm (EST) , May 2, 2010

Thanks for your response!

Hmmm... radical teacher, that's a toughie. In my case it's being a teacher interested in forming critical students; students that don't just accept things per se, but question them to have a profound learning process, besides taking the power to try to improve their realities. I would say it's something like that.

What do you think?

: )

escrito por Gerardo_Gacharna, às 9:58 am (EST) , Apr 29, 2010

Wow Urquhart! You have a VERY interesting group.

I'm way occupied now, and I don't think I'll be participating in the LT groups. I would love to join your group but I prefer to come clean and explain to you I wouldn't be able to do anything more than just join.

Thanks for inviting me!

:)

escrito por Gerardo_Gacharna, às 5:24 pm (EST) , Apr 28, 2010

Yes it does thank you, i have just joined :)

escrito por THE_ROCK, às 12:00 pm (EST) , Apr 8, 2010

Thank you for your message.

I will be contributing to the group shortly and look forward to my involvement

escrito por tractorboy, às 4:49 am (EST) , Apr 4, 2010

I do plan to, thanks. I am on a book tour now. Thinks will calm down soon, I expect.

escrito por ChristopherCorbett, às 2:15 pm (EST) , Mar 31, 2010

Ur,

The Iliad is one of my favorites. However, I would like to own a copy that has the original Greek, English translation, and critical notes that is not of the Loeb Classical Library. Do you know of one that would be reasonably priced?

escrito por petros359, às 1:37 pm (EST) , Mar 27, 2010

Thanks for the leads Ur!

Daniel

escrito por JFCooper, às 2:07 pm (EST) , Mar 26, 2010

Thanks for the invite. My girlfriend and I visited her sister and brother-in-law in Togo. We are hoping to wind up back there for an extended period sometime soon. Thank you for asking.

escrito por bas615, às 11:37 am (EST) , Mar 24, 2010

I havenʻt used an M L West translation or edition.
I connected him, in my mind, with Hesiod,
but the Loeb Classical Library [Hesiod] that I have
is the old one, edited and translated by
H.G. Evelyn-White, which combines the 2 Hesiodic works
with Homeric Hymns and other "Homerica".
Now, "Search" indicates that the "Hymns" and
Homerica have been separated from Hesiod, and
M. L. White is the editor and tr. of this newer
v olume which I havenʻt seen. I notice there
is also a Wikipedia article on him.

So I donʻt really have anything to add to what
is shown on his author page in LTʻs "Search".
What I remember of him, not from recent reading,
though, is very favorable.

His list in "Search" is very impressive, so thanks
for reminding me of his work. Thereʻs a title of his on
the West Asian influences
in Greek Literature which "Search" shows in English
and Italian editions. I wanted to add that to my
wish List, but there are some technical difficulties
on that.

escrito por rolandperkins, às 3:07 pm (EST) , Mar 23, 2010

Reconstructive archeology? Well I make replica items and see how they work, everything from armour, weapons and tools even a working forge (which I had to make in order to complete my Benty Grange helmet replica). One of my favourites though is a little saw which I made based upon Anglo-Viking finds from York. The excavators had found two pieces of antler and one hypothosis was that it was a hand saw (missing the blade which would have been recycled). I made a replica of the two pieces, then very simply put it together with the addition of a saw blade. It worked perfectly and felt right too, interestingly it actually works better than a modern junior hacksaw as the handle is easier to grip being bigger and covered with natural groving, so I now use this tool in preference to a modern one.

escrito por ghasp, às 9:42 am (EST) , Mar 23, 2010

All things considered I think Richmond Lattimoreʻs
is the best bet as a translation of the [Iliad]

The only thing I donʻt like about him is his
(usual) omission of the repetitions that
have become known as formulas. These are things
like adjective phrases applied to people and
places -- usually the same phrase
as the time before. I suppose he was
aiming at making it a beter modern poem,
even at the e xpense of being an accurate
translation. To me, that
deducts from the "Homeric" atmosphere.

But, as I said, "all things considered . . ."

I do have a translation --the Loeb Classical by
A. T. Murray, ,who is not the most famous
translator or ev en the most f amous Murray
who has done translations from Greek, but I
regard it as very good. Some classical colleagues
would no doubt disagree.

I donʻt know why it doesnʻt appear in
"My Library". Maybe, the "order" that theyʻve
been placed in -- but thatʻs a different
problem.

Fagles is a good translator, but I havenʻt
looked at his [Iliad].

escrito por rolandperkins, às 11:32 pm (EST) , Mar 20, 2010

I'm glad you pointed me to the group. I'm already daunted by the credentials listed there, but assuredly, I can soak up a lot of new viewpoints.

I'm so excited to use LT as a way to make my library more visible to myself, by categorizing and cross-categorizing.

See you in the trenches.

escrito por 2wonderY, às 2:07 pm (EST) , Mar 20, 2010

Hello, thank you for your invitation to your group. I wish they would add spell check to this web site. I am a terrible speller. I do volunteer work in a middle school here in Portland, one of the classes I work with is a 8th grade us history class. At the moment they're learning about the constition. Lately the class has been exploring the 3/5 compromise so they can write a paper on it. I actually learned a lot about the compromise. Interesting where we learn. My main interest is intellectual history, being a philosophy major.
Michael

escrito por michaelbartley, às 5:37 pm (EST) , Mar 19, 2010

Hey,

Thanks for the invite. My three areas of interest are diplomatic, intellectual, and world history. More than likely I will pursue world history because I am interested in events, ideas, forces, etc from a global perspective and because unlike diplomatic and intellectual history which carry certain stigmas, world history is a burgeoning discipline that I think has a promising future that would afford more opportunities for employment.

escrito por petros359, às 10:48 am (EST) , Mar 18, 2010

I would love to join the group! However, like the people that have commented below I'm not exactly sure how one goes about actually joining. Hope to join soon.

escrito por simaqian, às 10:22 pm (EST) , Mar 17, 2010

Thanks! it worked!

escrito por torontoc, às 11:16 pm (EST) , Mar 16, 2010

I'd love to join the history group but am having trouble- i got to the site , introduced myself but can't join-the message is that I have to be invited- but can't find the right button!

escrito por torontoc, às 11:10 pm (EST) , Mar 16, 2010

I'll join the others (you have been busy!) in thanking you for the invitation to History: On Learning... I have signed up and look forward to checking it out more thoroughly.

escrito por bookblotter, às 9:50 am (EST) , Mar 16, 2010

Thanks for the invite - I'll join once I can find my way there...

escrito por Rob_AC, às 8:52 am (EST) , Mar 16, 2010

Thanks for the invitation. I hope to have more time to review the group during the coming week!

escrito por kathyceo, às 9:10 pm (EST) , Mar 15, 2010

Thanks for the invitation!

escrito por CatyM, às 6:24 pm (EST) , Mar 15, 2010

Just joined. Thanks for the invitation. I can't wait until I have some time to go through some of the posts. They look really interesting!

escrito por beelzebubba, às 4:00 pm (EST) , Mar 12, 2010

Thanks for the invite to the group, I will be sure to check it out.

escrito por jareddwasser, às 12:35 am (EST) , Mar 12, 2010

I lived in Fribourg from Jan 06 to Sept 08, which was the most amazing experience. It was astonishing to live in a place with so much almost unreal natural beauty. Great history, amazing amazing food and culture. Cold though, very backwards in their approach to women, xenophobic and expensive. Picked up a lot of french though.

Sarah

escrito por historywitch, às 5:12 pm (EST) , Feb 25, 2010

I am no longer in upstate New York. I just pick up my mail there. Did Ezra Pound touch down at Colgate?

I can't remember details from Wendy Doniger's book, but I remember feeling that I understood Hinduism a lot better afterward. I've read a serious amount of Hinduism now. I feel it is incomplete. I believe my centering my studies around the Mahabharata is very informative (and that I ought to get back to it).

Thanks for your response on economics and history.

Robert

escrito por Mr.Durick, às 6:59 pm (EST) , Feb 24, 2010

Hi, no problem, I have the laptop on most of the day and nip on and off especially when my little one is asleep. I am very good at multitasking (supervising my daughter reading and holding a sleepy baby at this moment too!)

Not sure about being a professor in ancient greek, its been quite a few years and two children since I studied this stuff.

We're moving in 5 weeks or so, just hoping all the builders etc come on time! We are doing all we can ourselves but the place was left in a terrible state so new boiler and windows needed, plus the bathroom needs to be moved back upstairs.

Switzerland is a beutiful place but that spot by the River Sarine is a little piece on heaven on earth!

Sarah

escrito por historywitch, às 1:16 pm (EST) , Feb 24, 2010

Hi,

I am familiar with the author although I have not read that particular book. I read several of his books and papers for a course on Greek lyric poetry at university. They were recommended and I am sure his latest work keeps up that standard.

We just bought a house to renovate, hence the radio silence.

Sarah

escrito por historywitch, às 4:28 pm (EST) , Feb 23, 2010

Thanks for the welcome! I hope someone replies to my question.

escrito por thinkingriddles, às 11:27 pm (EST) , Feb 21, 2010

Thanks for the welcome! I'd love to join in on the active topics, but to leap in is a daunting prospect. For now, I've been brave enough to make a post in the introduction topic.

escrito por ben.thomas, às 12:25 am (EST) , Feb 20, 2010

Ph.D. is in Maya Archaeology

escrito por EricCGibson, às 1:18 pm (EST) , Feb 9, 2010

Hi

My picture is from the reproduction of the Luttrell Psalter.

Regards

Jeremy

escrito por fastred, às 3:28 am (EST) , Jan 20, 2010

It's actually a small (very small) vacation cottage I have in Hawaii. Augusta, Georgia is not as lush as all that! I look forward to discussions in the group.

escrito por cstebbins, às 8:10 pm (EST) , Jan 18, 2010

Barlow,

I admit that I had to google Washington County, where the farm is, but it turns out that both that and the bakery are about 2.5 hours from me--I rather feel that I'm 2.5 hours from everywhere else.

I don't know about Katz's books: I am very fond of dogs, so might find them interesting for that.

I used to make basic white bread and that was about it; then I got a bread machine, which I like for the great ease but not so much for the square loaves with the little plastic mixer attachment baked into the bottom! It's only recently that I've begun experimenting a bit, and I admit I haven't tried rye bread yet. I have a couple of bread cookbooks (another category of books I collect in a modest way) and will check them for a rye recipe without sourdough (probably my least favorite kind of bread).

I DVR'd the Bill Moyers show with Greg Mortenson but haven't watched it yet. We read that book in my book club (one of their better selections) and I've been waiting for his Nobel Peace Prize nomination since.

Cheers,
Elizabeth

escrito por ejj1955, às 3:08 pm (EST) , Jan 16, 2010

Hi,

Thanks for the welcome to the history group--I had joined History at 10,000 Feet a while ago but wasn't aware of your group until I found that thread on historical objects--interesting topic!

We don't share a lot of books, but what a cross-section! Oddly, none on history, though.

I also have been experimenting with bread making of late. My best loaf so far, I think, is the challah bread I made recently; I'm planning to try that one again. It was lovely.

Cheers,
Elizabeth

escrito por ejj1955, às 11:33 am (EST) , Jan 16, 2010

All is indeed well. Just busy with work, spending time with my fiancee, and our new puppy (who, at 7 months, is already 100 lbs!). I'm sure you're very well experienced in being utterly busy with work and the rest of life.

How's this for a plan: my fiancee and I have our wedding date set this October. After that, we're heading to South Korea to teach English! It'll be a good break from school for the two of us before we head to graduate school. Plus, with the benefits and low taxes in S. Korea, it's a chance for us to pay off some of those wonderful student loans we've managed to accrue..

How did the holidays treat you?

escrito por deslni01, às 4:58 pm (EST) , Jan 3, 2010

oh I have and I will continue to initiate new topics within a group. Haven't launched an entire new "group" yet.

escrito por Chris469, às 3:30 pm (EST) , Dec 21, 2009

American Caesar is fantastic so far. Manchester uses some fairly obscure words like "popinjay"(I had to look it up.) and tends to throw out some French idioms that I am not entirely familiar with, but other than that, I find his writing style to be pretty good. I am reading it at work during my lunch hour and have not been able to get through as much as I had wanted to in the past week due to other things coming up. I am at the point where WWI is coming to an end and MacArthur is a Brigadier General. I look forward to the rest of it!

escrito por network-janitor, às 11:42 pm (EST) , Nov 20, 2009

The Iliad? I'm taking my time with it as poetry is new to me. Only just finished the first book in the volume. So far, so good. It's a story of war, of which I am all too familiar with.

escrito por OldSarge, às 7:10 pm (EST) , Oct 4, 2009

I don't really know that much about Bhutan to either agree or disagree to that one:) maybe you should try one of the mediterranean countries too. Slow and simple are very known words in both Spain and Italy..maybe even some places in France...you should try out a holiday in a vinyard or a sleepy village by the sea:) I know a lot of norwegians live in southern Europe throughout the winter season.

escrito por Apolline, às 11:50 am (EST) , Sep 29, 2009

Hi,

how are you? I hope you had a nice weekend:) Who wouldn't want to live in Norway?? hehe, good question, I'm not leaving to put it that way....! But then again...when you're privileged by living in one of the richest countries in the world, the least you could do is to appreciate it.

Haha, the language is not THAT difficult either....we have to learn english and i guess it is no more difficult to learn norwegian than english!And yes, since we live in Norway, there is no way out of learning our own language!!:D

If you look at it a bit closer you can see that many of the words are rather similar.

A few ex:
Knife - kniv, day - dag, mother - mor, father - far, yes - ja, no - nei

and the typical international words like telephone - telefon etc:)

Not difficult at all;) but then again, I guess nothing is difficult for those who know it. We have a lot of different dialects and that might be confusing for those trying to learn the language. We also have two different written languages. They are not that different from each other, we understand both with no difficulty, but we have to learn both in school. One of them is developed from the danish language, if you know any nordic history you'd know that Norway was in a union with Denmark in approximately 400-years...before we were handed over to Sweden after the Napoleon wars in 1814. We got our freedom in 1905. But, back to the language thing, one of the written languages is based on the danish language and the other is constructed upon different norwegian dialects and some parts were picked up from the old norse language, the way they spoke in the middle ages. The old norse language sounded a bit like what icelandic does today. In addition to norwegian, we have another official language, spoken by the sami or lapps. (I do not know that language...it is very far from norwegian, I think it is more related to finnish). I guess you'll be able to peak norwegian fluently after this short introduction...piece of cake;)

Well, over to your serious question. You're assumptions are not far from being correct. because of the oil we had a lot of back up resources to keep the recession from getting to much hold of our economy. If not for the oil I guess the recession would've had a deeper impact here as well. But then again Norway was a poor country before we discovered oil. As I mentioned earlier Norway were under foreign rule for almost 500 years, and a lot of resources had benn drained out of the country in this period of time. It was also occupied during the WW2. People were used to save money and living small. this is a way of living that many norwegians still live by. Though our economy is much better and the living standards are high, people don't have the need of flashing their wealth and fortune. People look down on snobbery and moderation is actually a key word. Though I think maybe this changes with time.
If we look atthe MTV programe Cribs as an example. I don't think it would be necessary to even think about making the same programe in Norway....celebrities here do not live like that. Maybe a few multimillionairs....and those who do live like that would not flash it on national tv. You are allowed to be rich...just don't go around flashing it;) The Hollywood culture is therefore a lunatic fringe (as you called it) to us moderate norwegians;) So, what can the rest of the world learn? Well, find some oil, become filthy rich and keep a back up bank account just in case the world economy collapses. Maybe you should think of becoming a smaller country too, then you wouldn't have as many inhabitants to care for:)

B

escrito por Apolline, às 4:48 pm (EST) , Sep 27, 2009

Dear Mr. U!

Haha, sorry for starting this message wih a laugh, but I have to admit i certainly had grea pleasure in reading your message. But first of all, thank you for inviting me to a very interesting group, though my respond was rather late.

Now back to your funny little assumptions, or maybe rumours you've heard about Norway. I think I was ROFL(as the chat language calls it), basicly rolling on the floor laughing. I might live in Norway, but it is in no way Utopia. If we all had 100.000$, I've at least never heard of it. I wish...:) It would be fun to read the article from the Financial Times though:) I guess the state might have enough money to pull off a stunt like that, but instead we have something called the welfare state. It provides us with (almost) free hospital/medical care if you get sick, we have kindergardens, homes for old people, state universities....if you lose your job, the state will help you find a new one....almost all your needs is covered by the state....almost:) But this is a small country so it is possible to do so. And we do earn a lot of money on oil, and fish export...and death/black/heavy metal music;)

The financial may not have hit us as hard as many other countries, and I guess there is many reasons for it. One of them is the state (again) who have produced new project (sort of paid) to keep the industry going. It means that industrial workers kept their jobs, or many did, but there is still plenty of people who lost their jobs. Maybe not as many as in other countries....and I guess they didn't get homeless and all that... maybe I'm a bit naive, but I think that most of the hoeless people over here are either drug addicts or alcoholics. "Normal" people who just loose their jobs normally wont loose their home at the same time. We have good support arrangement for unemployed persons. I don't know if tis made any sense...just got home from a night out;) A bit difficult to discuss politics and the welfare state with too much wine.....

Have a lovely day!!

escrito por Apolline, às 9:05 pm (EST) , Sep 19, 2009

Thanks for the welcome. I just read your review of Dangerous Games, I had been looking forward to reading it after a good review in the Washington Post. I'll probably still read it, partly because it's so short. I'll let you know what I think of it.

escrito por sgtbigg, às 5:52 pm (EST) , Jul 16, 2009

Thanks for your "Welcome to the group".

escrito por rolandperkins, às 10:12 am (EST) , Jul 11, 2009

I could also add:

James Ronda, /Lewis and Clark among the Indians/
James Merrell, /Into the American Woods/

escrito por alshacke, às 2:18 pm (EST) , Jul 4, 2009

I'm really unsure what criteria to use in making any recommendations, so I'll fall back on titles that have been successful as course texts for a largely engaged, informed, and capable audience.

First, given the interest of your group, you should read:
John Lewis Gaddis, /The Landscape of History/ & David Lord Smail /On Deep History and the Brain/. Both comment on historical method, the latter specifically on the history of non-literate peoples.

As for Native North America, I've had a lot of luck w/:
Colin Calloway, /New World's For All/
Theodore Binnema, /Common and Contested Ground/
Andrew Knaut, /The Pueblo Revolt/

escrito por alshacke, às 2:08 pm (EST) , Jul 4, 2009

Isn't Maida Vale more like...Central London and Poshness? :)

escrito por Wanderlust_Lost, às 6:29 am (EST) , Jul 4, 2009

Hey Mr. U.,
Thank you for a great reminder......The best education/knowledge is self made! Following the intellect of the heart to the time and places we really want to know or understand.
kellycd

escrito por kellycd, às 8:35 pm (EST) , Jul 2, 2009

Thank you, Mr. U. Am afraid I can't offer anything very erudite, only interest and enthusiasm.
Kelly

escrito por kellycd, às 11:20 pm (EST) , Jun 29, 2009

I thought the question I posed was rather relevant to the topic of tools for historians, as bibliographies can certainly be considered tools, and since several of the links posted in the thread include bibliographies. There did not seem to be any indication that discussion on the thread was limited solely to links and other tools. If you'd like it in a separate thread, feel free to go ahead and do so. I hadn't thought the question merited its own topic.

escrito por bfertig, às 1:21 pm (EST) , May 19, 2009

Thanks for the invitation. Although this is a rather tedious thread, you might find posts starting around #111 to be of interest on "Islam" as a "failed religion" (as it relates to historical analysis) http://www.librarything.com/topic/61406

escrito por theoria, às 10:51 am (EST) , Apr 24, 2009

Hi Urquhart (good Scottish name :) ) - Thanks for your kind comments and welcome to our history group...I would not say I had "expertise in Chinese history", and my interest is mainly 19th/20th century, which is but a mere fraction of it all !....but I will do what I can...best wishes Graham

escrito por grahamhk, às 10:06 am (EST) , Apr 24, 2009

Glad to hear you're enjoying "War and Peace and War". His next book, "Secular Cycles" comes out this summer, but he has it up in its entirety on his website. It's a far more detailed "mathy" book than the one you're reading now, but attempts to provide case studies of his theories.

escrito por Trystorp, às 1:13 am (EST) , Apr 11, 2009

Hi there,

I appreciate the comments :-) I try my best to live a happy and productive life and I guess I do it how it works for me :-) I do SO LOVE R. Service. I was just reading the Cremation of Sam McGree the other day...

Do you read Service? I actually pulled some of his works out of my library to re-read (a stack). Well anyway talk later...I have to get out birding before it gets too dark. The migration is full on...Great Grey Owl in NH just this week...running down tomorrow to hopefully see it!!! How cool!

Talk later, zeke

escrito por ejakub, às 4:53 pm (EST) , Apr 8, 2009

Thanks for inviting me to the group, Urquhart. It looks most interesting. Unfortunately, I don't seem to be able to join it - a technical hitch of some kind keeps telling me that it doesn't exist any more.
I'll keep trying though.

Nisha

escrito por nisha, às 1:29 pm (EST) , Apr 6, 2009

Hey, Thanks for the invite! Looks like a great group.

escrito por MammuthusPrimigenius, às 10:14 pm (EST) , Apr 4, 2009

Thanks for inviting me! The Historiography group looks very interesting and history is one of my passions. Right now I only have a tiny fraction of my books inventoried in my library but it is one of my goals to get it done this year. Oh, how I would love a scanner! And I do make a lot of bread- the grocery store is a one-hour plane ride away so every morsel of food we eat has been made from scratch. It's a good thing I like to cook!

Kecia

escrito por celebrian, às 11:48 am (EST) , Apr 4, 2009

Thanks for inviting me to join the group. I look forward to sharing some thoughts on the subject.

escrito por Buckle, às 4:03 am (EST) , Apr 4, 2009

Thanks for the invitation to the Historiography group and for the warm welcome. I don't know how active I'll be, because I've got way too many projects going, but it's a great group and I do plan to keep checking in when I can.

escrito por margad, às 8:16 pm (EST) , Apr 3, 2009

Thank you for the invitation to the history group, it sounds interesting!

escrito por shirukuroodo, às 5:40 pm (EST) , Apr 2, 2009

Thank you for your kind words.
Any ideas for a first topic?I will do some reading on the subject and hope to get back to you.
best wishes, Bart

escrito por Coessens, às 11:09 am (EST) , Apr 2, 2009

I would definitely like to help. How do you propose to go about?

Best wishes.

Bart

escrito por Coessens, às 5:28 am (EST) , Apr 1, 2009

OOOO I have to say that Sharpes Rifles...AWSOME!!!! Good book there!!! I love both the book and some of the BBC vids. They are just glorious!

escrito por ejakub, às 8:03 pm (EST) , Mar 30, 2009

No problem, and thanks for the compliment. John

escrito por john257hopper, às 4:51 pm (EST) , Mar 30, 2009

Thanks for the invite. My books also are the books I have read. I don't think you truly own a book until you have read it.

escrito por DaristeiaD, às 10:14 pm (EST) , Mar 29, 2009

Yes, I'll join your group. Let me know how.
Norm

escrito por liber_scriptus, às 5:26 pm (EST) , Mar 29, 2009

Hello, and thank you very much for the invite to the group. I accepted of course and will enjoy reading many of the discussions in the future.

escrito por KeithFowler, às 2:58 am (EST) , Mar 28, 2009

Hi there,
thanks for the invite, I joined and have been reading many interesting threads in the group.

escrito por Tylman79, às 2:15 am (EST) , Mar 28, 2009

Hi Urquhart,

Thank you very much for the invitation, and I hope the new group is everything you are hoping it will be. For me, the idea of a private group makes me a bit uncomfortable -- there is something about discussing books and scholarship that feels more comfortable open and available to all comers.

I was enjoying the previous group so much though, that I am considering starting a new public general history discussion group, and if I end up doing so, I'd be happy to have your participation!

Good luck with the group, and I'll be careful riding!

escrito por stellarexplorer, às 11:16 am (EST) , Mar 27, 2009

Thanks for the invite! Looks like interesting stuff. :)

escrito por zhukora, às 4:24 pm (EST) , Mar 26, 2009

Urquhart, '

What happened to our group. I was enjoying it. Did somebody cross a line?

K

escrito por ksmyth, às 11:26 pm (EST) , Mar 25, 2009

Hi Urquhart,

It's my pleasure! I do think Sarah Waters is great at evoking her period. I love when historical novelists get the settings just right, or at least right in a way that I can feel the period. This is one of the reasons that Sharon Kay Penman is one of my favorite historical novelists. It's rare to find history that can make you feel a period the way historical fiction can, although it can't ever replace history.

It took me a while to contribute to the group because most topics seem to focus on ancient or American history, neither of which I know much about. I specialized very early on.

Have a great day!

- Meghan

escrito por littlebookworm, às 1:46 pm (EST) , Mar 24, 2009

Hi Urquhart,
I wanted to thank you for all your wonderful work on the Group Read and your thoughtful comments. Please don't ever get back onto the beaten path.

escrito por Cecilturtle, às 11:48 pm (EST) , Mar 21, 2009

Yes, Cyteen takes a lot of time and patience.

Relax and enjoy the journey.

Carmody

escrito por carmody, às 8:22 pm (EST) , Mar 18, 2009

A belated thank you for the invitation, Urquhart - I've been travelling for the last couple of weeks. I've accepted and am looking forward to being part of the group!

escrito por chrisharpe, às 9:50 am (EST) , Mar 17, 2009

Thank you! interesting link, I am going to the UK (for my sins) in May. My mother lives in Kent, so I may pop over to check this place out.

escrito por tomcatMurr, às 12:03 am (EST) , Mar 16, 2009

Thanks for the invite. For a moment I thought your profile said you had 2 wives and a cat. LOL

escrito por Choronzon, às 2:20 am (EST) , Mar 14, 2009

Thanks for the invite to the history group. I am finding it to be an informative area. :)

escrito por Belisaurus, às 11:45 pm (EST) , Mar 12, 2009

Thanks for the invitation to the history group! Bravo on the bread-baking - eating too much of it is my bane, but it is fascinating (and satisfying) to do.

escrito por Eurydice, às 5:59 pm (EST) , Mar 11, 2009

Hi, thanks for the invitation to join the history group. I just joined up .... at least, I think I did!
cheers,
Mary
www.marynovik.com

escrito por MaryNovik, às 6:28 pm (EST) , Mar 10, 2009

How, if I may ask, did you discover me here on LT? Just curious.

escrito por OldSarge, às 1:10 am (EST) , Mar 10, 2009

Thank you for the invite. Don't believe I will be able to contribute much until I get back stateside.

escrito por OldSarge, às 12:58 am (EST) , Mar 10, 2009

It is a worthy goal, albeit not one I achieve very often in my own posts! :D Thanks for the invite and kind regards. :)

escrito por Essa, às 1:12 pm (EST) , Mar 9, 2009

Many thanks for the invitation! I'll hope I can be a bit more active soon, if I get my computer problems fixed.

Greetings from Germany
Neurasthenio

escrito por Neurasthenio, às 8:02 am (EST) , Mar 9, 2009

Thank you for the invitation. Yes, I like to join.

escrito por marieke54, às 6:04 pm (EST) , Mar 8, 2009

Thank you for the invite. It looks like an interesting group and is particularly relevant to me right now.

escrito por Marensr, às 3:20 pm (EST) , Mar 8, 2009

Thank you for the invite. I did indeed join.

escrito por kurvanas, às 1:59 pm (EST) , Mar 8, 2009

Thanks for the invite, but I was there already ;-)

escrito por BarkingMatt, às 9:57 am (EST) , Mar 8, 2009

Thank you for the invitation.

escrito por hasprintwillread, às 4:13 am (EST) , Mar 8, 2009

No problem, I should have answered the first one.

Ficus

escrito por FicusFan, às 6:38 pm (EST) , Mar 7, 2009

Thank you for the invitation. It does look like the group has some potential for interesting discussions and you are certainly doing your best to get them started.

escrito por justchris, às 2:35 pm (EST) , Mar 7, 2009

Thank you for your invitation to the History group. I share your questions and would be happy to have some answers...
I'm a very buzzy bee; therefore I'm afraid I will not be able to contribute as much as I would like (and as the subject merits), but when an occasion presents itself, I will not hesitate and jump in!

Happy reading (and baking)!

escrito por JanWillemNoldus, às 1:51 pm (EST) , Mar 7, 2009

thanks for the invite!

escrito por biscuit, às 7:32 pm (EST) , Mar 6, 2009

Thank you for your invitation which I am happy to accept.
F/H

escrito por Foxhunter, às 2:55 pm (EST) , Mar 6, 2009

Sorry for my delayed response. My day job has been burying me lately.

Thanks for inviting me to the group! I will add it to my list of groups.

Steven
http://steventill.com

escrito por StevenTill, às 1:32 pm (EST) , Feb 21, 2009

Thanks for the group invite. Sounds interesting!

escrito por AngelicaHarris, às 10:38 am (EST) , Feb 20, 2009

thanx for the invite :)

escrito por potterfan2121, às 12:29 am (EST) , Feb 20, 2009

Golly, you type fast!!!!! I just put that up there!

Great! lots of points for discussion. Give me some time. I like your characterisation of the difference between Chinese art and Western art very much. Spot on in my opinion.

escrito por tomcatMurr, às 11:58 pm (EST) , Feb 19, 2009

Hi Urquhart,
thanks for your patience.

You are quite right about Buddha's rejection of ascetic practices. But this is not an alternative to what I was trying to express in my post. What I was trying to say is that the Pali cannon, which is Buddha's Middle Way, is at once a manual of how to 'get there' and a record of one man's journey there. I think it's wrong to say that Buddha simply found enlightenment the way you find a penny (i know you don't mean this, but many people do), but that, sitting under the boddhi tree he worked towards it using the methods he later taught and which are now enshrined in the Pali texts. Buddha's struggle to attain nirvana under the tree is described wonderfully in Majjhimanikaya 36, 85, and 100, for example. They are beautful texts.
That's what I was trying to express in that sentence.

As someone from a Western culture living in an Eastern culture, I am particularly sensitive towards and interested in underlying conceptual differences between East and West. I think it's many of these conceptual differences which account for the misunderstandings many Westerners have about key Buddhist concepts. I hope to find the time to write about the Buddhist conception of the self, which is profoundly interesting.

The post on my blog initially was prompted by a discussion on Buddhism and Christianity on the Pro and Con:Religion group, where many were under the illusion that B and C had areas of similarity. Needless to say, this is not so. Another post you might be interested in is my review of Italo Calvino's Mr Palomar, which I feel is very buddhist. Do you know that book?
I am very interested in talking further with you about this. Let's keep the conversation alive!
Murr

escrito por tomcatMurr, às 10:05 pm (EST) , Feb 19, 2009

Hello Urguhart,

I am a new member of your History group.

Adventuretracker.

escrito por adventuretracker, às 7:20 pm (EST) , Feb 18, 2009

Well, now you're making this cat blush!

Give me a couple of days to get back to you on this, I do want to engage in conversation, but I am fearsomely busy right now.

Don't go away.
:)

escrito por tomcatMurr, às 8:04 am (EST) , Feb 18, 2009

Thanks for the invitation. I"m feeling a bit overwhelmed with my Dostoevsky project and with other groups, so I'll just lurk this time.
Last year I read Braudel's Civilisation and Capitalism and blogged about it here:

http://thelectern.blogspot.com/2008/10/civilisation-and-capitalism-fernand.html

Some of your group members may find it interesting.

Thanks again.
Murr.

escrito por tomcatMurr, às 11:46 pm (EST) , Feb 16, 2009

Thanks for the invitation.

escrito por varielle, às 10:08 am (EST) , Feb 16, 2009

mail me at garp83 at verizon dot net

btw, my business web page is at www.gogeeks.com

when you mail me the question I will also send you more on the Bush 22 percenters ...

Ciao!

Garp

escrito por Garp83, às 4:05 pm (EST) , Jan 28, 2009

We seem to share a similar perspective. Check out my political blog:

http://takeamericaback2006.blogspot.com/

escrito por Garp83, às 1:12 pm (EST) , Jan 28, 2009

Dear Mr. Urquhart, I joined Library Thing just so I could reply to your comment: "Is it possible to compile a list of great literature that is at the same time upbeat." In the last few years I've been on a quest to find such books after realizing that many literary novels were depressing me, but I wanted to read books that are worth my time and have good writing, character development, and insights about life. To share my findings with other readers, I created a web site, Positively Good Reads (www.positivelygoodreads.com), that now that lists and describes 100 novels. It hasn't been easy to find upbeat literary novels, but I've discovered I was wrong in thinking they are almost non-existent. To people who comment that upbeat literature isn't realistic, I say it's not that I'm looking for novels without moral dilemmas, loss, struggle and conflict; I'm looking for novels that leave me feeling that there's reason to go on living. As Fay Weldon said, "By a happy ending I do not mean mere fortunate events — a marriage or a last-minute rescue from death — but some kind of spiritual reassessment or moral reconciliation." Anyway, please check out www.positivelygoodreads.com for the titles I've read so far, and send me others if you'd like, since I'm going to keep looking.

escrito por positivelygoodreads, às 5:14 pm (EST) , Dec 22, 2008

HI there.
Thanks for your comments on What the DIckens....
I see you changed your name. There's an excellent BBC TV series called House of Cards the main character of which is called Urqhart. He is a wonderfully Machiavellian character, full of relish for his own evil. I wonder if you've seen it? If Urqhart is your real name, my apologies and congratulations!

It's also a pleasure to meet someone who loves Dickens. I read most of his books in my 20s, but this year I am doing an in depth study of his life and work. So far I have read:
Barnaby Rudge
Bleak House
The Old Curiosity Shop
Sketches by Boz
Kaplan's biography
Martin Chuzzlewit,

It's not a long list, because I'm reading quite slowly, and I'm also incredibly busy. Librarything also takes up far too much of my time.:)

I am currently reading Master Humphry's Clock and other short stories. I review what I read on my blog. It's a bit heavy on Dickens at the moment, but there's other stuff there too you might be interested in reading.

Come to think of it, there are some Sketches by Boz that might give you the same feeling as Copperfield, particularly one called Horatio Sparkins, which is a wonderful spoof of Jane Austen. I agree completetly with what you said about her, by the way. She lacks breadth. Mmm. Actually I strongly recommend the Sketches to you, especially the later ones: Characters and Tales.

Good luck with the bread making. I used to make rye bread on a regular basis, but don't have the time for it now.

Besst wishes
Murr

escrito por tomcatMurr, às 11:56 pm (EST) , Apr 5, 2007